the way that every culture has some combination of breads and alcohol and cheese and pickled things I feel like we're really missing the mark by not mysticizing yeasts more
like we make them a warm, dark little home and leave them an offering of grain or milk or grape and these unseen creatures give us these unimaginable gifts????
I just want to remind everyone how affordable buying food from indigenous tribes is. I live in a major city and I was able to purchase and ship (15) pounds of fish from back home to myself for cheaper than I could buy it from a grocery store here in the city. Yeah, shipping has its own environmental factors but I was able to support an indigenous owned business while also getting my groceries at a lesser cost. (Buying in bulk is always a good idea if you’re planning on having something shipped to you)
Some tribal owned grocers that ship:
Bow and Arrow (Ute Mountain)
Native Harvest (White Earth)
Red Lake Fishery (Red Lake)
Wozupi (Mdewakanton Dakota)
Ramona Farms (Gila River)
Tanka Bars (Oglala)
Indian Pueblo Store (Pueblos)
Twisted Cedar Wine (Cedar Paiutes)
Ute Bison (Ute)
Seka Hills Olive Oil and Vinegars (Yocha Dehe Wintun)
For people trying to buy gifts for cheap or make things for people you care about but either you're still getting to know them or they're not the main people you're getting gifts for - consider the casual gift triad: something to eat, something to read, something to wear. All of these have decent homemade or thrifted options to keep prices low.
For your main folks, consider an expanded version: something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read. My partner and I do this plus a stocking with food items and any smaller gifts we want to give. This has helped us give higher quality gifts on the years when our budget allowed it and not get each other clutter on the years we're more limited.